Two-dimensional Bose–Einstein condensate under pressure

Evading the Mermin–Wagner–Hohenberg no-go theorem and revisiting with rigor the ideal Bose gas confined in a square box, we explore a discrete phase transition in two spatial dimensions. Through both analytic and numerical methods, we verify that thermodynamic instability emerges if the number of particles is sufficiently yet finitely large: specifically, N ⩾ 35131 . The instability implies that the isobar of the gas zigzags on the temperature–volume plane, featuring supercooling and superheating phenomena. The Bose–Einstein condensation can then persist from absolute zero to the superheating temperature. Without necessarily taking the large N limit, under a constant pressure condition, the condensation takes place discretely both in the momentum and in the position spaces. Our result is applicable to a harmonic trap. We assert that experimentally observed Bose–Einstein condensations of harmonically trapped atomic gases are a first-order phase transition that involves a discrete change of the density at the center of the trap.